With shelter evictions looming, migrants worry about access to housing, work permits

Dozens of activists gathered Saturday in Pritzker Park in the Loop with a message for Mayor Brandon Johnson and Gov. J. B. Pritzker: “No evictions, no more.”

That was one of several phrases chanted by the crowd, standing just across the street from a migrant shelter at the former Standard Club on South Plymouth Court. They held signs reading “housing for all” and “housing is a human right.”

They were protesting Johnson’s long-delayed plan to evict migrants living in shelters longer than 60 days. The order will finally go into effect March 16.

“We know that the people that are being evicted do not have the resources they need,” said Merita Bushi, an organizer with Community Care Collective and 33rd Ward Working Families — two of the groups organizing the protest.

“People say this is a migrant crisis, but it really isn’t. It’s a housing crisis, and it just has illuminated what many houseless Chicagoans have faced for years. We need to build permanent housing that is affordable to everyone.”

Pat Nabong/Sun-Times

Currently there are 11,498 migrants residing in 23 active shelters, according to the city’s Office of Emergency Management and Communications. Back in January, Family and Support Services Commissioner Brandie Knazze told the Sun-Times that the first rounds of evictions would impact approximately 5,673 people, who previously had an exit date between Jan. 16 and Feb. 29.

Activists at the Saturday protest were critical of the eviction plan, citing barriers to accessing work permits, as well as limited rental assistance. They also spoke about poor shelter conditions.

The rally followed a recent lockdown of a migrant shelter in Pilsen after a measles case was reported.

Among the speakers was Reina Isabel Jerez Garcia, an immigrant from Colombia, who said she was still waiting on a work permit.

“It’s become almost impossible to be able to find secure work,” she said through a translator. “If we don’t make money, we can’t pay rent. If we can’t pay rent, we will have to live on the street.”

Referencing International Women’s Day, which fell on Friday, Garcia spoke about the challenges faced by migrant women.

“These conditions are pushing women to do precarious work, and the less support they receive, the more they’re going to have to find ways to survive,” she said. “And a lot of times this means they’ll have to do work that many would not consider dignified or safe.”

Pat Nabong/Sun-Times

The evictions come as the number of migrants in shelters continues to drop. In mid-February, the number fell below 13,000 for the first time since Nov. 28. The shelter population peaked at nearly 15,000 in January. By late February, the city had closed four shelters in the Loop, North Lawndale, Lake View and North Park.

Mayor Johnson previously postponed the shelter evictions after more than a dozen alderpersons signed a letter calling for a delay.

Ald. Andre Vasquez (40th) attended the protest and said he has plans to ask his fellow councilmembers to sign another letter calling for an end to the 60-day eviction policy, ask for more support from Gov. Pritzker and an executive order by President Biden guaranteeing work permits for all.

“We’ve got about 12,000 people in shelters and only half of them are eligible for rental assistance,” said Vasquez, who is chair of the Council’s Committee on Immigrant and Refugee Rights.

“Only 10-20% of them are eligible for work authorization” he said. “So, at the end of April, you’ll see anywhere from 2,000 to 5,000 people out in the street. It’s my belief that the city can do better, and I’m glad that there are some people out here that believe the same.”